God's Sovereign Alignment

Isaiah 60:20-21 

20 Your sun shall no more go down, 
nor your moon withdraw itself; 
for the Lord will be your everlasting light, 
and your days of mourning shall be ended. 

21 Your people shall all be righteous; 

they shall possess the land forever, 

the branch of my planting, 

the work of my hands, 

that I might be glorified. 

I recently met with a friend and shared the various ways I have seen God working in me and around me. Many of these ways have been more than coincidence or happenstance and better than fortuitous. In faith, these events and opportunities are markers of what I call God’s sovereign alignment. 

The military organization in which I serve suffered 16 suicide fatalities last year. My organization has fought to re-establish an identity that strengthens unit morale and stops the loss of life to suicide. Many of us recognize the relationship between suicide and a person’s spiritual life; others speak of the greater spiritual engagement of the spirit of suicide. As we received much-needed aid and resources, our senior leaders desired God to get the glory. 

I recognize God’s work at hand to bring actions in this dire situation and establish a new cohesive identity across multiple distinct units. On June 6, 2022, my organization was re-organized and affectionately named the “Arctic Angels” Division. I see God’s marker in establishing the “Arctic Angels” Division on a date that some find numerologically fascinating. 

We started this year with one suicide fatality in January. Since that loss and into the advent of this new organization and all the resources coming in, we have had no suicide fatalities. An important fact is knowing the efforts of Christians praying for us internationally, including a Christian school in Vancouver, Canada. Our desires as leaders are that beyond whatever actions come our way, our suicide fatalities cease, and God gets the glory. God’s grace is evident, and His mark is seen through the sovereign alignment of His will. 

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for your gracious mercy and the protection of your shield of faith around us in the battle of things unseen with real effects on our lives. May you open our hearts to receive your love in overflowing ways that touch the hurting souls around us. 

Thought for the Day: Jesus is present with us as faithful believers, even when we are gathered as two or three geographically dispersed. 

Prayer Focus: Our mighty God hears our prayer.